Intertwined at The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts 7/27/26-8/23/26
Hi Audience, I know it has been a while since my last post. As many of you are already aware, my featured artist show at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts this year is titled Intertwined and will run from July 27th through August 23rd. There will be a Last Friday Art Walk opening reception on Friday, July 31st from 6-9pm, and an artist talk on Saturday, August 15th at 4pm.
This year my sculpture will show alongside the work of painters Nancy Smith, and Chris Graebner.
Here is your blog subscriber’s preview of some of the new work I have created…
PrimordialBumble-PhantDande-DragonMythicTeaQilinDewRemarkably BrightPas De DeuxBloom At NightHoneyMoon Dance
They are all a bit more magical this year. It feels like a bit of magic is needed right now.
Hope you get the chance to check them out in person!
Each year at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, we host a preview show for the Orange County Artists’ Guild’s Studio Tour. The tour runs the first two weekends of November. When the studio tour ends… the holidays begin at HGA!
For several years now I have created mostly one-of-a-kind needle felted ornaments. Each is a unique mini-sculpture, and they seem to be quite popular. Here’s a link to a YouTube video that I created a few weeks back showing many of the ornaments I have sculpted for this season.
This year, I’ve decided to do a little marketing experiment. I’m making several ornaments available online for the next two weeks. You can get to my sales page by clicking on the Curling Rabbit ornament below, or through the image gallery currently on this site’s home page. I will add new ornaments if these find new homes quickly, but they will only be available online through November 10th!
Curling Rabbit
Other New Work.
Since, I stopped making regular blog posts, I haven’t shared much in the way of new work. Here are a few recent pieces:
Cozy Badger
Cozy Badger – Needle felted wool/mixed media. Anthropomorphic badger figure with a blue and white stripped nightcap, slippers, and “pince nez” glasses, sits on a natural wood log reading a book, with a cup of tea beside him. This piece will be available at HGA for the holiday show.
Harvest
Harvest – is an anthropomorphic mouse figure with a pumpkin. Needle felted wool. This piece is currently available at HGA.
Fish Out Of Water
Fish Out Of Water – is a re-work of an earlier sculpture. Seated needle felted koi figure holds a blue decorated parasol, and has a obi belt fashioned from the fabric stash of a beloved art quilter. This sculpture is also currently available at HGA.
Hi, I know it has been quite some time since I posted anything new here. I have been quite busy with things in and out of my studio. A redesign of my website is just one of those tasks. In fact, I am still in the process of the redesign, so if you click around, things might be different next time you return. This post is also a check, to make sure that the redesign still allows those of you who have graciously subscribed to my blog to still receive them.
The biggest change in my site is that I now have a static home page that doesn’t update with each post. That page is still very much a Work-In-Progress. My posts will now live here on the Blog page. Posting will not occur with as much regularity as in the past. But, I will write each time there is an event, or new development in my work I want to share with you.
I have updated my Current Gallery page, and will be working to keep it as up-to-date as possible. I am playing around with making some items directly available for purchase from time to time. That requires some interplay between this site, and my Square sales to allow for convenient and secure transactions.
I may also try to work a BlueSky embed into my new home page. That way you can see what I post there (daily) without needing to have your own account… I think?
New Work
Here are some pieces that I have worked on since the last time I posted.
Love is NurturedBoho SlowLuna MouseAvoid Shiny ObjectsFledgedFamily PhotoRabbit MoonVenetian Canard
There do seem to be quie a few new pieces here that I had not posted about!
Several are for my upcoming featured artist show at the end of July. I will tell you about them in the run up to the opening. A couple, Luna Mouse and Venetian Canard, have already sold. Boho Slow is currently available at The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts.
All, are my usual construction of needle felted wool over a wire and batting armature. Some have unique qualities like the embroidery on Venetian Canard. I incorporated upcycled denim in Avoid Shiny Objects, and Rabbit Moon and Family Photo both are hanging display mobiles. Fledged, is unique in that is doesn’t include a figure, only the suggestion of one.
I have two pieces this week that are ready for spring to arrive. One is a mystical looking deer with antlers that form blooming branches. The second is a Pollinator Purse for the HGA spring Pop-Up event.
Spring
Spring
My interpretation of Spring is a melding of botanical and animal. I wanted this meditative looking ungulate to appear to be pulled from some boreal mythology. I’m not sure exactly what magic this creature possesses, but I’m guessing that it is ancient and powerful.
Spring is needle felted wool over a wire, batting, and wood (antlers) frame. I fashioned the unique antlers from chopsticks, skewers, and tooth picks drilling and gluing them peg fashion. The flowers and leaves are glued and felted to the antlers and the yarn wrap “bark.” You can watch a time-lapse of his creation on my YouTube channel.
Spring features sequin and bead dappled spots on his back, and iridescent glass bead eyes.
Pollinator Purse
Pollinator Purse
My Pollinator Purse features a needle felted and embroidered bee and dandelion design. This bag is also an example of upcycling, as the base of the pouch is a section cut from the leg of an old pair of jeans. Two pockets, one on the back, and one sewn to the interior lining came from the same pair of blue jeans. The cross body length strap was recycled from another denim bag. The zipper of the bag was also recycled, and the pull was changed out for bee charm and copper beads.
Pollinator Purse zipper and lining detail
A slide show process video of this bag can also be found on my YouTube channel. I think that I will be hanging on to this bag until the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts’ Spring/Mother’s day Pop-Up event on May 10th.
Bonus Work!
I had a couple of other pieces, one just completed and another from a couple of months back that were both gifts. They were both just delivered, so I can now share them with you!
The first was a sea life hanging mobile sculpture for above a baby crib. It is tricky to get an image of the whole mobile at once as all the elements are moving and twisting. So, instead here is a little collage of all of the seperate parts.
The other sculpture is a small snowy owl on a natural wood base. Both pieces traveled to their new home this week.
I decided to create a second piece for next month’s “It’s all About The Story” show. When scrolling through our guest poet, Jeffery Beam’s work, a second short poem caught my attention. It is simply titled The Whale.
I love creating sculptures of these mammoth marine mammals. I’m not sure what the pull on my imagination is. Perhaps it is the juxtaposition of something that is both hulking and graceful? Or, maybe it is how they are entwined into so many stories and mythologies? What ever the reason, I have returned to the whale several times. Ironically, one time I steered away from whales was for a Herman Melville inspired show. I figured there would be enough cetaceans in attendance there.
Bubbling Leviathan
Not A White Whale
My whale piece is titled, “Bubbling Leviathan”. Like whale themselves, I find the word leviathan intriguing. Somehow, it strikes me as one of those words that sounds like what it is, large and hulking. Unfortunately, it is also usually equated as dark, sinister, or even evil. I didn’t want my leviathan to be evil, so I encorporated something light and bubbly. Literally bubbles, or more specifially the feeding technique of creating bubble nets that humpback whales use. Humpbacks blow bubbles from their blowhole while turning in a circle as the swim upward. This concentrates the small krill that they feed on within the bubbly enclosure as the whale swims upward with its mouth open.
Bubbling Leviathan (back view)
My Leviathan is embellished with swirling gold patterns, glass elements, and metalic embroidery. I was striving to meld the natural and mythological I find combined in these creatures. Glass beads are suspended above and trail off the whale creating the illusion of movement and spinning of the bubble net. The sculpture is suspended from a thin bamboo ring. A spiral connector, and metalic ring complete the hanging connection.
I took some time this week to do a little wet felting. I tried the technique where you wrap a resist object, a balloon in this case, with some yarn first. Then I layered white and black wool. After wet felting, and popping the balloon, the resulting form was turned inside out to reveal that the yarn was incorporated into the felt as well. I worked the top edge a bit with my needles to create a finished edge. I had originally planned for this wet felt to become a bag, but I worked it into such a nice spherical shape, that it screamed to be left alone. My most trusted art critics agreed with this creative choice. So, Vessel # 12 it is. This piece will show up at HGA as soon as I get a chance to add it to inventory and drop it off.
Valentines?
I have a small selection of my hand pulled gel mono-print cards in floral and heart designs available at the gallery. Sketching a few other ideas. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything else.
As there is still a week until Christmas, I doubt this is my last batch of ornaments for this season. These new One-Of-A-Kind (OOAK) ornaments will be headed to the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts later today. Each is a unique original sculpture. I do repeat themes. Some ideas seem to capture the eye more than others. For example, there was a brown bear on a sled a few weeks ago. This week I created a polar bear cub with a long magenta vintage style hat and scarf piloting a sled. He is titled Polar Slide.
Polar Slide
Earlier, I had a pair of polar bear cubs teamed up to hang a star. This week it is a giraffe who needs no partner to reach the top of the tree. This one is titled No Ladder Needed.
No Ladder Needed
Warm Wool is the next OOAK ornament in the batch. I haven’t done a sheep this season. There were others who didn’t really need their winter accessories either, but they look so fetching!
Warm Wool
Also, completely new this season is Checking Santa’s List. This little owl with spectacles is helping out St. Nick. He has his reading glasses on, so he can double check Who! is naughty and Who! is nice.
Checking Santa’s List
The last ornament (at least in this batch) is Ornament Care. He is a Male emperor penguin. Ornament Care is protecting an ornate glass ornament in the same manner the male penguins incubate their eggs. They balance the eggs on their feet, and squat down to cover them with their bodies.
Ornament Care
Coming Soon…
All of these new little friends will be at HGA later today. I’m guessing there will be at least one more posting for the holiday season. Next, we have some group shows for January and February. I will be telling you all about those soon.
This Friday is “Black Friday” and It is also the Last Friday Art Walk in Hillsborough. After your Thursday feasting, head down to Hillsborough for extended holiday shopping hours, art, good companly, and maybe a glass of holiday cheer. The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts is all dressed up for the season, and our artist/elves are continuously busy creating amazing hand crafted art. Many of my one-of-a-kind ornaments have already traveled out the door. So, I will continue to work on new designs, and keep refilling my two copper display trees.
Chickadee BallChickadee Ball (back view)
I will add the “Chickadee Ball’ dryer ball ornament when I go in for the Black Friday – Last Friday festivities from 6-9.
Pop-Up Next Saturday!
Next Saturday, December 7th the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts will host it’s second annual Holiday Pop-Up from 12-4. Tents will go up outside the gallery and by noon, there will be additional offerings by many of our artists for your holiday gift giving. We make a special effort to make these expecially giftable items.
Last year, I introduced my needle felted one-of-a-kind ornaments. As you know, each is an original mini-sculpture. They were so popular, this year I have created all one-of-a-kind (OOAK) ornaments so far. To switch it up for the Pop-Up this year, I decided to create two “Limited Edition” ornaments. Several people asked me if I would make additional copies of “Hanging Lights”, an opossum hanging lights in a ring.
Hanging Lights
Well, no, sorry, I do try to keep the one-of-a-kinds one of a kind (he sold rather quickly.) But, that doesn’t mean I can’t do something similar. So, I will be making a batch of single tail hanging opossums for the Pop-Up.
Limited Edition Opossum
In addition, I am miniturizing my mini-mush sculptures a little bit more, and making them into hanging ornaments.
Trio of Mini-Mush Ornaments
The opossums, and mini-mush ornaments will be available at HGA starting at the Pop-Up next Saturday, December 7th. I’m not sure what number I will limit these orament batches at (10?12?) It depends how far I get in their creation this week along with a few other items.
I will be at the gallery for both the Last Friday Art walk this week, and the Holiday Pop-Up, hope you can make it out too.
I haven’t done any holiday markets, or fine craft fairs in quite some time. One tends to get a little spoiled being part of a wonderful artist-owned gallery like HGA. But, I will be participating in such a market at Kaleideum Museum in Winston-Salem next Saturday, November 9th from 6-9pm. By day, Kaleideum is a children’s museum, but once a month they host an “After Dark” over 21 event. This month, it is the Night Market. Check out this “After Dark” link for all that is included in the evening’s fun.
Kaleideum After Dark “Night Market”
What Is Going To Market?
I will be bringing a selection of my currently available sculptures, and one-of-a-kind holiday items. Many of the holiday items will debut at this market, as we will be installing the gallery holiday show the following week.
Here are a few new things that will be making the trip to Winston-Salem…
Try It On
“Try It On” is the latest of what I sometimes call my minis. He is tree frog with his throat puffed out who is “trying on” a toad stool cap for a hat. Colorful and eye-catching, he sits perched on a natural wood base. He is needle felted wool over a quilt batting core, and has large glass bead eyes. The base is sealed, and “Try” is firmly attached via some glued in toothpick pegs.
Three more one-of-a-kind ornaments emerged from the work table this week. Acorn Gift is a chipmunk with a basket of goodies. Peppermint Cocoa is a mouse dressed for bed with a cup of cocoa and a candy cane. Bling! Mini is a miniture version of a snail I created earlier this year. All are needle felted wool with glass bead eyes and embellishments. Acorn Gift’s acorns are glass beads with felted wool caps.
Acorn GiftPeppermint CocoaBling! mini
I also had time to work on a couple more mushroom minis. Meet Mush 7 and Mush 8. Both are needle felted wool with glass bead eyes. Each is secured to a natural wood base with a glued in chopstick dowel core.
Mush 7Mush 8
Don’t Forget The Trees!
I have also been busy adding to the inventory of my popular felted holiday trees. These feature needle felted wool and crystal beading. They have the same base and core construction as the mushroom minis. The three shown in this photo are new, and they feature a blend of wool from a dark green recycled sweater, and lighter green roving fiber.
Holiday Trees
If you want to see everything else that will be at the market, you just may have to make the drive out on Saturday. Hope to see you then!
As you can see, I am continuing to work on my winter hoilday ornament inventory. It never seems to be enough, especialy if one is contemplating doing extra shows or events. More on that later, as the time comes closer.
This week let me introduce:
Ornament Transit, a donkey toting baskets of ornaments
Musk Elf, a musk oxen elf
Festive, a flamingo with a tinsel scarf
Jolabokaflod, a bear with cocoa and a book, named for Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas eve, and reading them while enjoying chocolate
White Stag, a magical white deer
Aurora Reflection, a wool “painting” on a dryer ball base
These ornaments along with the others you have seen will be available once the holiday season begins. I will tell you where and when.
Why Ornery?
I have been working on some other items the past few weeks, but they were custom orders, so I will not be sharing them here. These items were all, created after informing the inquiring customer that “I really no longer do commission work.” For some reason, this is never satisfactory, I’m then regaled with why this request is special, small, different, please, please, please…. Ugh, sigh. Not wanting to be rude, I end up relenting, and saying ok. And, then wouldn’t you know it? They all end up reminding me of some of the reasons why I don’t do commissions any longer. I will spare you the annoying details, the artists out there know what I’m talking about.
Instead, I thought I’d might pass along a bit of public service. We are entering the season when with lots of festivals, markets, and open studios where art and hand-crafted items are sold. These hard working artist will be sharing a bit of themselves with you. It is always a good idea to know how the game is best played. I perused some attending an art fair dos and don’ts.
Some of the advice was common sense:
Don’t bring food or drink into the tents
Ask for permission before photographing anything
Haggling is not encouraged
Keep an eye on bags, umbrellas and children’s hands
Try not to congregate in tent entrance
If you pick something up, place back in same location, or hand to the booth attendant
I also found a graphic credited to the California Arts Council that provides some things to help you be a thoughtful art fair consumer.
Instead, tell the artist what you do like about their work. Ask them about their process. This is a little different from, “how is this made?”, unfortunately many artists do have their original designs stolen and copied. Do inquire if they do custom work, or commissions, and be prepared to pay part up front for an order.
For a little practice, one of my Hillsborough Gallery or Arts co-owners hosts a wonderful show at her farm each year. It is this Saturday, and the weather report looks good. Here’s a link to Art at Lady Bug Farm. If you’re local take a drive out, it will be worth the trip!
Holly and MistletoeHolly and Mistletoe with lantern litHolly and Mistletoe back view
My latest anthropomorphic figure is a needle felted racoon gathering holly and mistletoe by lantern light. As you may have already guessed, he will come into the gallery when we install the holiday show in mid-November. It takes a fair amount of time to create my holiday inventory, so most of what you see from this point on this year will be either winter themed, ornaments, or what might be considered more giftable items.
Holly and Mistletoe is needle felted wool over a wire and batting armature. This free standing sculpture balances on its feet, tail and lantern staff. His felted basket is full of holly with hand sewn glass bead berries. His head and lantern staff are festooned with felted mistletoe with white glass bead berries. The lantern is felted wool over metalic tulle and fusable interfacing. The lantern hardware is made of jewelry findings and decorative notions. Inside the lantern is a “balloon light”. These tiny LED lights are made for use in decorative items. The type of balloon light I chose has a tiny switch and can be opened to replace the batteries. As you can see, I created closure clasp with a loop and decorative brad on the lantern. This allows access to the balloon light.
Work-In-Progress?
Since I do have a little time before I bring this piece in to the gallery, I think I am still considering these images as work-in-progress shots. Should I tie the legs, tail, and staff together with some sort of base? I am also wondering if I should add some more width to his tail to make it fluffier? Now, that I’ve asked that second question out loud, I realize that answering yes to that, may negate the first question. Making the tail thicker may make his stance even more stable.
I’ve also been busy recently creating some special pieces that are intended as gifts, so I can’t share them quite yet as I don’t want to spoil the surprise! When they’ve landed in their future homes, I’ll share them here.
